The Mattatuck Museum focuses on the work of painters and sculptors who were born and/or based in Connecticut.

Its collection spans the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and the artists represented in the museum's collection include Paolo Abbate, Abe Ajay, Alexander Calder, Frederic Church, Erastus Salisbury Field, Arshile Gorky, John Frederick Kensett, Peter Poskas, Kay Sage, Yves Tanguy and John Trumbull.

[2] In 2008, the museum began offering self-guided tours of downtown Waterbury that highlight the city’s distinctive architectural achievements.

The biennial competition awards include products and gift certificates from local businesses.

The museum created a special exhibit in honor of Fortune that detailed the lives of African-American slaves in Waterbury during the early part of the 19th century.